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Monday, January 4, 2010

Who Knew?

This month's edition of Country Living Magazine has an interesting feature on Girl Scout memorabilia. I was a dedicated girl scout up until eighth grade when I decided to focus on sports instead. I remember loving the camping trips and all the other wonderful experiences the Girl Scouts had to offer. Even at a young age I was a type "A" personality, obsessed with earning every single badge. I fell short by four badges but held onto my sash for all these years. When I saw the article and the value of the badges - $5 to $10 a piece for common badges and $50 to $60 for rare skills - I was pleasantly surprised. Above is a picture of my sash, complete with pins and troop information. I am not sure what the pins, red rectangular patches and wings signify. If you know I would love to hear from you.

Here is the back of my sash. As you can see I never finished sewing all the badges on, as the top three are just pinned in place. In the second row you can see a handmade bowling badge. Each troop had the opportunity to make their own badge and my troop choose bowling. It is funny to think that bowling must have been considered a life skill!

As a Girl Scout I also received patches (like the ones shown above) for various camping trips and special projects. I must have been quite the saleswoman as evidence by the "cookie queen" badge.

So what badges didn't I earn? Here they are:

I find it very ironic that two of the things I like doing best - running and cycling - are two of the badges I did not earn. If you would like to see more information about vintage Girl Scout collectibles, visit vintagegirlscout.com.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

Basement Rerun

Yesterday while flipping through magazines at my local bookstore, I was quite surprised to come across two pictures of my basement renovation in two different magazines. You may remember the original story about my basement renovation was published back in July 2009 in Better Homes and Gardens. (Click here to see the original article.)

A picture of my walk out basement entryway can be found in the current issue of Better Homes and Gardens 100 Decorating Ideas - Big Style for Small Rooms.

100 Decorating ideas Big Style for Small Rooms / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

The original picture is the same as above except that it included me walking through the door holding a bucket of flowers. If you look closely through the opened door, you get a small glimpse of the blue stone patio my husband had just completed. Since the photo shoot, I have changed the door knob you see in this photo to polished nickel to coordinate with the rest of the basement and house.

The second picture of the basement renovation can be found in Better Homes and Gardens 2010 March issue of Remodel.

Remodel / Photographer - John Bessler

Stylist - Donna Talley, Regional Editor and Producer for Meredith Publications

This picture of the sitting area is also very similar to the original except that it gives a little broader view of the space. I was so pleased to discover these photos had been used again. I hope you will get a chance to see them in the magazines.

Friday, January 1, 2010

Belated Greetings and Thanks

I have been away the past few weeks enjoying the holidays with my family. I had a wonderful time but never had the chance to express my gratitude and holiday wishes to the blogging community.

So I send you all this bouquet of flowers from my garden, hoping your holiday was wonderful and your new year will be filled with health and happiness.

When I started my blog just six months ago I had never read another blog and truly did not know what to expect. I have been amazed and humbled by the warmth, support and creativity of the blogging community. I am looking forward to 2010 and all its possibilities and hope you will continue with me on this journey.